One More Night
by NorthernDownpour01
Summary: A companion piece to "All That You Are" based on the romance of Emma and Baelfire. Snapshots of their time together before Storybrooke, how they reconnect while in Storybrooke, and what happens once they're back in the Enchanted Forest. This is slated to be a 5 shot, maybe more.
1. Chapter 1

Baelfire met Emma Swan when she was seventeen.

"It's my birthday," she told him, and he was smitten. She was tall, though shorter than him, and beautiful. She reminded him of a land he hadn't seen since he was fourteen. She looked like a princess with her bright blue eyes, creamy white skin and blonde curls that fell around her like a waterfall and she smiled like an angel.

Emma Swan was no angel. It took him exactly ten minutes to discover that. He didn't have a lot of experience with princesses, having grown up in the flat lands; but imagined princesses were less angry, and not so jaded. For a seventeen year old woman, Emma Swan was angrier than most people became in their lifetime. She didn't talk much about her past, but he knew she came out of the foster system, same as he. Bae remembered his seventeenth birthday and the joy he felt walking out and never looking back. Dying in the Ogre Wars would have been a preferable fate over four years in the foster system.**_  
_**

She didn't like him; that much was clear. She was working in a diner, trying to make enough to scrape by and pay the rent in her tiny, roach infested apartment. Baelfire was making a living stealing things and selling them in pawn shops, including the occasional car. Chop shops paid a decent amount depending on the car, allowing Bae to live better than Emma was. He often wondered what his father would have thought if he could see Baelfire now, jacking cars, breaking into homes, pick pocketing in crowds, but the thought was too painful. His father had made his choice, and Bae had made his; there was no point in wondering what might have been. Here he was alive, not made to die in a pointless war. As a boy he had dreams of being a great warrior, slaying Ogres and evil men alike. There he could have been worthy of a beautiful woman such as Emma Swan.

There Emma Swan would have been a princess, and she would not have wanted him still. That didn't stop him from going into her diner every night and ordering pie. She always served it to him with a side of sarcasm, and it had quickly become his favorite. He craved hearing her voice, even if it was cutting him to ribbons. He could still remember the first time he had wandered in to that diner. It was a greasy spoon right off the interstate that seemed to cater to night owls and truckers. Bae would have fallen in the former category as thieving was easier when people couldn't quite identify his features. That night he had found a nice Mercedes that had been unlocked, and after a bit of rewiring had driven it off. Now he had a pocket full of money and was hungry.

He had found himself a lonely bar stool at the end of the counter and began sizing up the pies displayed on the counter, hoping they had his favorite. Pumpkin. It reminded him of home, it felt earthy and simple, just the way life had been when it was just him and Papa, before daggers and magic had come between them.

"What can I get you?" A sharp voice interrupted his reminiscing and there she had been. It felt like he had been looking for her his entire life, searching for someone he had never seemed to be able to find, and he was suddenly ashamed of what he had done that night. His first thought was, 'Oh, it's you. Of course.'

"Hello?" She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and he snapped back to reality.

"Pie. Pumpkin," he told her, watching as she walked away to cut him a slice. He liked the uniform, tight khaki pants and a black t-shirt with white lettering on it advertising the diner. Around her waist was a black apron and to his surprise she wore boots. That was unusual; women here didn't tend to favor boots unless it was with an equally ridiculous get up.

She came back over with a plate of pie, a fork, and a can of whipped cream. She set the plate in front of him and shook the can in her and. "Want some?"

He stared for a moment. "Yes," he finally choked out. No one had made him feel so unsure of himself, not since his father backed out of their deal and he was left standing in the middle of nowhere in a land without magic.

She sprayed some on his pie and then walked off, but it didn't matter. He was smitten.

She came back over a little while later with a rag. "So what's your deal?" She asked in that no nonsense voice of hers.

"Just looking for pie," he told her, not adding that he had also apparently been looking for her; although he'd not realized it until this moment, right now. She raised an eyebrow that suggested she didn't quite believe him.

"What's your name?" She asked him, wiping down the counter.

"Baelfire," he told her. He had refused to change his name when he had come here, even when the women in the foster system insisted that could not possibly be his actual name. It was all he had left.

"Got a last name?" She asked him, not questioning his name.

"Nope. Just Baelfire. Call me Bae."

"Okay Bae," she agreed. She indicated to a white name tag pinned to her shirt that read Emma.

"Emma. Pretty," he told her. The more she spoke, the more he learned, the more he was sure she was a princess trapped here as well.

"What do you do, Bae?" She asked him.

"I slay Ogres," he said without missing a beat. He didn't want her to know who he actually was because he was ashamed, and princesses never fell for the bad guy. Princesses fell in love with the hero, and that's who he wanted to be.

"Right," she said, sarcasm coating the word. She walked away after that, and shortly after Bae went home, but not before generously tipping her. She didn't acknowledge him again but he didn't care. He would be back the next night, and every night after that until he could convince her to like him, and then maybe love him. It was the first bright spot he'd had in his life since he got here eight years earlier when he was fourteen. In this land without magic, where no one believed, Emma Swan was a lost princess, the first real piece of magic he had seen without being a magical being. He never thought in all his life he would be so happy to find it, to find her.

He told himself he would win her. All he needed was one more night.

**_rie!_**


	2. Headlights

He slept with her. It hadn't taken nearly as long as he anticipated, and now he was in trouble. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, wrapped up in his white sheet, looking betrayed and furious, holding a framed picture. He had not considered taking it down in their haste to remove the other's clothing.

"You are married?" Emma was asking, looking at the photo. "And you didn't think to mention that?"

He hadn't mentioned it because it wasn't relevant, not really. He had married the girl when he was eighteen, before he knew anything about himself, or anything about her, really. He had still been a boy with the mindset of where he came from. Where, when honorable men wanted to be with a woman physically, they married them. Bae still considered himself honorable back then, so he did the right thing and married her.

She left two years earlier without so much as a goodbye, and Bae couldn't say he blamed her. He had not gone looking for her, or tried to contact her since he walked through their shared apartment and found her belongings gone. She had never asked for one, nor had he bothered trying to obtain one, because what did it matter? He had no plans on ever re-marrying, finding the women here to be lacking something, though he was never sure what. Now he had found the right woman and was going to lose her based on a poor choice made as a boy.

"I didn't think it needed to be mentioned," he told her, looking her dead in the face. It didn't bear repeating.

"You're married," Emma repeated, as if she wasn't getting her point across.

"Technically, yes," Bae told her, not wishing to elaborate further. Emma had never offered him one piece of information on herself, and yet she demanded that he tell her his life story?

Emma stood up, fire behind her eyes, and began putting her clothing back on. "I knew something was up with you," she declared as she shimmied into her jeans. "Something isn't right about you."

"That seems harsh, considering you have never said anything about yourself other than a name, an age, and that you came from a foster system."

Emma snapped her bra back on and pulled her shirt over her head before turning to him. "Here's something. I'M NOT MARRIED."

She grabbed the keys to her little yellow bug and stormed out, slamming his front door on her way out. Bae sighed and sat up, putting his face in hands. This was not how things were supposed to go. What had she been doing, looking around like that? She was looking for a reason to not turn this into anything other than just a sexual encounter.

It took Bae three months to admit his own fault in the situation. He should have told her, should have hidden the picture; should have done a million things. Not seeing her was starting to make him feel crazy. He wanted to apologize, to see her even if she was telling him to get lost. If Emma wanted, he'd divorce the other woman.

He should have driven the car he was jacking to the garage first, but once he made the decision to see Emma he refused to wait any longer. The car was ostentatious, bright red and worth a quarter of a million dollars. He had been watching it for weeks now, waiting for an opening, waiting for the owner to get careless with the Saleen S7 Twin Turbo, and tonight had been his chance. The first real American super car, unveiled this year, almost impossible to find. He could retire from the game, set himself up somewhere nice and live out his days comfortable and relatively happy.

It wasn't the kind of car you stole and then took for a joy ride, but Bae was sloppy tonight. He parked it by the diner and walked inside, pleased to see Emma inside, hanging up her apron to leave. He stood there, drinking in the sight of her. She looked different to him somehow, her face maybe rounder, her skin glowing. Still beautiful. She was smiling when she turned around and saw him.

"Emma," he said almost breathlessly. He expected her to look angry, to tell him to leave, but she didn't. She looked almost relieved.

"Bae," she said, her hand playing nervously with the hem of her shirt. "I need to talk to you."

"Let's take a drive," he said. Maybe the car would impress her, he thought wildly. She didn't argue, just followed him to the dark corner he had parked the car. She paused when she saw it.

"What is that?"

"A car," he responded. The last thing he needed was for Emma to know what he did for a living. This was his last job before he quit and went back to being a man with honor.

"Can I drive it?" She asked, holding her hand out. He hesitated for a moment, but decided it couldn't hurt anything. She wasn't likely to be reckless and destroy it.

"Sure," he tossed her the key and they got in.

Emma needed control. She had been waiting for Baelfire to come in for months now, having no idea how else to contact him. She had wanted to go back to his apartment, but couldn't remember how exactly to get there. She hadn't expected him to disappear for three months without a word.

She was pregnant. It figured that one encounter would cause as much, and Emma didn't know what to do. She had considered an abortion for a millisecond and was now considering adoption. Part of her wanted to keep the baby, but she couldn't do it alone. She needed help. She wanted to talk to Bae, to ask him what to do. She was still seventeen and scared, he was older. He would know.

She asked to drive the sports car so she would have a small amount of control over something. Driving would keep her calm in case things went badly. She didn't know where the car came from but decided in the case of Bae, the fewer questions she asked, the better.

She pulled out and took the first exit onto the highway, finding the high speed coupled with few cars out at the late hour put her at ease.

"Are you okay?" He asked her after a solid two minutes of silent driving. She took a deep breath, ready to tell him everything.

"No. I need to tell you something," she started.

"Go ahead, you can tell me anything," he offered earnestly. She opened her mouth to say the two words she had been dreading when blue and red lights flashed in her rear view mirror.

"Shit, shit, shit," said Bae, seeing the lights. Emma turned to him, fear pooling in her stomach.

"What's going on?" She demanded, finding once again Bae was keeping something from her.

"Don't pull over!" Bae told her frantically as she flipped on her blinker and began pulling onto the shoulder.

"Why not?"

"STEP OUT OF THE VEHICLE!" An officer shouted at the pair of them. She craned her head back to see several more cars joining the first. Officers were surrounding them, guns pointed.

"What did you do?" Emma shouted, but it was drowned out by another loud request for them to come out and get down on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Bae hissed, his eyes wide. Emma's hand was on the door.

"I'm getting out, Baelfire," she said. Emma stepped out, got to her knees and then put her whole body flat on the pavement. Immediately people were on her, cuffing her and slamming her against a car. She grunted, worried about the baby, but said nothing. Vaguely she heard someone reading her, her rights, but it didn't matter. She had lost sight of Bae in the turmoil and was now alone in the back of a cruiser. She had to assume he was in the back of a different one.

She said nothing until they got to the station. Once she was there she learned the vehicle had been stolen, and suddenly so much about Bae made sense. Why he always out so late, why he seemed to have so much money but she had never heard of a job. Baelfire, according to the officer, was feigning innocence on the entire thing, saying they had been given the car. She knew, deep down, they were both going to jail.

He was the father of her child. She was going to ask him for help raising it, to be an actual father, and now she learned he was a criminal. Emma leaned back in her chair and continued to say nothing.

"If you don't speak up missy, we're going to assume you stole it and your boyfriend in there was just along for the joyride," the officer told her after five hours of asking her the same questions over and over.

"Fine," she finally cracked, tired of the whole thing. "I stole it. He was along for the ride."

Baelfire would never know what prompted her to make the statement, but in the early morning the detectives came back in and showed them Emma's written statement. He argued with it, telling them it was him who had stolen it, and agreed to tell them the location of the shop he took his cars to if Emma would serve no longer than a year. It was the best he could do, given the circumstances. He had originally asked for no time, but they hadn't been willing to do that.

In the end, Emma wound up with a seven month sentence. During her time waiting for the trial she had contacted social services and organized a closed adoption. Bae would never know he had a child, the child would never know it's parents had been in jail. She would give this child it's best chance, and hope someday the child would turn out better than either of it's parents had. She would never have made a good mother, not at eighteen. Still, sometimes she wondered what might have happened if she had given Bae just one more night.


	3. Moments Spent Elsewhere

Bae found something he hadn't expected when he was locked up. He found a calling, he found his passion; he found higher education. It had started innocently enough when his cellmate, a middle aged man locked up for fraud, had asked if he would like to read a book. Bae admitted he was not much of a reader and the man began teaching him before moving on to numbers.

That was where Bae fell in love. Numbers were easy for him, easier than they had ever been when he was in school. His cell mate, Sam, was a self-proclaimed numbers genius and had a way of explaining it that made it easy for Bae. Sam told Bae it was embarrassing to be a banker who got caught cheating.

"All bankers cheat," he announced as Bae sat, surrounded by his school books. "Only the lousy one's get caught."

"So why'd you get caught?" Bae asked him, scribbling equations in his notebook.

"Got lazy," the man shrugged. It wasn't a big deal to him; he claimed being here in this minimum security lockup was more like a vacation from the wife than anything else. Bae had to admit this was not how he pictured prison- they had a television for God's sake- and he had Sam to thank for that. Sam had pulled strings from inside his cell and had gotten Bae an hour a day to begin learning the piano. He reasoned all educated men played piano even if Bae suspected that wasn't true, but reading music felt like math to him, and he liked it.

The program run by the prison allowed Bae to graduate high school, having dropped out the minute he turned sixteen.

"Where I came from, boys didn't go to school," Bae confided in Sam when he got the diploma. They had hung it on the wall, the only thing of Bae's in the cell, outside of Bae himself.

"Oh? What did boys do then?" Sam raised an eyebrow, interested in the young man. Bae told so little about himself.

"They fought. They died." Bae said simply. "There's a war going on, I think I might join."

Sam didn't say anything, but after seven months together, Sam was released. A week later the warden came by and told Bae he was being let out early on good behavior.

"Made yourself a good friend," the warden said as he led Bae out. "That don't usually happen here."

Bae nodded and walked outside into fresh air, a free man, to find Sam waiting for him.

"Get in boy."

Bae slid into the sleek, black Mercedes and Sam began to drive. "What you need is a benefactor."

"A benefactor?" Bae raised his eyebrow.

"Yes. I have four daughters, did I tell you that? Five women living in my house. Not to mention the three yappy dogs my wife insists are her babies, too. All female, of course. What I always wanted was a son."

Bae sat quietly, fidgeting with his hands.

"Where are your parents?" Sam asked him quietly.

"Mom is dead, and my dad...he was a powerful man...where I'm from...and he chose to stay."

"He sent you here?"

"I...no, I left. He was supposed to come with me, but he never did."

Sam looked over to see Bae's heartbroken face, the first real emotion he had seen to boy show in their seven months together.

"Well, I'll bet he regrets it."

Bae shrugged.

"I'm not letting you join the military. You've got too much potential. I want you to stay with me. Let me help you."

"Why would you do that?" Bae asked, genuinely concerned. "What do you want in return?"

"Maybe someday you marry one of my daughters? Everyone makes mistakes, Bae. Lord knows I've made more than my fair share, but I wish at your age someone had been there to help me up. To say it is okay to ask for help. You have an exceptional mind and a beautiful mind is the worst thing to waste. What do you say? You'll never owe me anything."

Baelfire looked over at the man who seemed so earnest. Sam had never been anything but generous, generous with his time, teaching Bae to read, to do math, helping him with history and science, giving him piano lessons, and he suspected, getting his time reduced.

"Will...uh...will you do something for me?" Bae asked quietly.

"What's eating you?"

"A girl."

"Of course. Who is she?"

"I got her in some trouble. Will you just make sure she's okay? Don't tell her I sent you, she wouldn't want to see me anyway."

"Of course," Sam said softly. "What's her name?"

"Emma Swan."

Sam moved the boy into his house, deciding to send him off to the best school he could get him into on short notice. The fall semester would be starting soon, and in Massachusetts there was no shortage of good schools willing to take an applicant who was, in turn, willing to make a generous donation. Sam was a Harvard man himself and had been disappointed when none of his daughters had wanted to go. Bae didn't seem to care where he went, so Sam met with the board, explained the boys' situation, and then wrote a very large donation check.

Bae was going to be a Harvard man too. He had hoped, upon bringing Bae home that his family would love the boy, and they did. Bae stood out in his family, tall and dark and handsome, where as he and his wife and daughters were short and blonde or red haired. Bae was the same age as one of his middle daughters, Emily, and they seemed to get along just fine.

Sam found Emma Swan in Tallahassee, back on her feet and working some odd job. He spoke to the girl, who was closed off like Bae. She was pretty the way he imagined princesses might be, if princesses hadn't had such a difficult life. It was easy to see why Bae liked her, and why he had no interest outside of friendship for his daughters.

So he reported back to Bae that Emma Swan was fine and well, living in Florida, and Bae seemed satisfied. He went to Harvard in the fall and did Sam proud, his only B's in history.

Bae decided to move onto campus midway through, with Sam's blessing, and became exceptionally well liked. Sam understood it, the boy was charismatic and good looking, those two traits alone would open him any door. He had hope Bae would decide to become a lawyer, or maybe want to go into politics. Instead, his junior year Bae came to Sam and expressed his desire to become a doctor.

"I've begun to take the pre-req's to get me into medical school," Bae told him over dinner one night. Sam couldn't say he was completely surprised, the boy was too honest to ever be a politician.

"A doctor in the family," Sam whistled, pleased that Bae had picked something so honorable.

Bae was accepted into Harvard's Medical School without Sam having to make a donation this time. Bae found he relished the idea of saving lives, of doing some good after spending seven years doing nothing positive for anyone.

It was grueling, and there were moments Bae was certain he was out of his depth, that he wasn't cut out for this. He stuck with it though and came out top of his class. He knew wherever his father was, that he would be proud of him and what he had accomplished. Bae didn't feel ashamed anymore, or like a coward. He felt honorable again. Well, mostly honorable. In the eight years since he'd been released from his stint in jail, he had not forgotten about Emma Swan and all the ways he had wronged her. He knew the likelihood of him ever seeing her again was somewhere less than zero, but he wanted to make things right in his life now, in case he ever got the chance again.

Which required him to finally track down the girl he had married, and marry her. It wasn't easy, he was spending nearly all his time in a hospital working on his residency in pediatric medicine. He hired a private investigator who tracked the girl to a small town in Vermont. Bae took a weekend off, a weekend he had to beg for, and flew up there to meet her. She was waiting for him, all smiles, and hugged him when he reached baggage.

"Baelfire," she smiled, and he squeezed her back. "How are you?"

"I'm well," he told her, taking in her appearance. She was short, shorter than he remembered, pretty face, brown hair. She had reminded him, back then, of his childhood friend Morraine. "How are you?"

"Tired," she laughed, leading him to a coffee shop. "That's what kids will do to you."

"You have kids?" He asked, taking a seat at a table.

"Don't worry, they're not yours!" She was still laughing. "But yes, two of them. Two and four." She pulled out pictures of little brown haired toddlers smiling up at the camera.

"They're beautiful," he told her honestly.

"I'm glad you found me," she told him as he pulled out the documents. They both signed three separate copies, one for each of them, and one for the lawyer. "My fiancé wants to get married, but I had no idea where you were. The last I heard...you were in jail..."

Bae nodded, sliding a pen over to her. "I got into a bit of trouble for a while there."

"Cars?" She asked.

"Cars," he agreed.

"But now you're a doctor. That's amazing." She signed her name where the red sticky tabs indicated. "Anyone special in your life?"

"There was...once," they traded papers to sign the others. "But she's gone now."

"There will be another."

Bae was quiet as they continued to sign. There would never be another one, and he knew that. Emma Swan was lost to him just as surely as his father was. They finished signing and she slid the lawyers copy over to him.

"Bae...I'm sorry...for how I left, but there never would have been a good way..."

He held his hand up. "Water under the bridge. It was good to see you."

"You too," they stood, and hugged again, and then she was gone and he was alone in the airport. He had another day off. He briefly considered spending it in Vermont, seeing what the state had to offer, but in the end he caught the next flight home and begged for his shift back at the hospital. The harder he worked, the less time he had to dwell, to focus on the past.

His residency took three years to complete. It had been eleven years since he had seen Emma Swan, eleven years since being in jail and he missed her just as much today as he did back then. Sam was throwing him a party to celebrate, but Bae wasn't interested. Sam had probably been the best father figure he could have asked for, outside of his actual dad, who he was no longer angry with. More than anything he wished his father could be here to see him, to see this instead of a surrogate.

"Bae my boy!" Sam clapped him on the back, having found Bae standing outside the sprawling two story estate. "Come inside, everyone wants to talk to you!"

Bae's phone began buzzing in his pocket. "Just a moment," he smiled his easy smile at Sam, who was beaming with pride. He waited until Sam was gone and then answered.

"Hello?"

"Baelfire?" A male voice asked from the opposite end of the line.

"Yes? Who is this?"

"That's not important. I need to tell you something and I need you to listen to me very carefully. Have you ever met a woman named Emma Swan?"

Bae's heart plummeted. Was she in trouble? "Yes, I knew her. Is she okay?"

"Did you know she had a son?"

Bae paused. Was this some kind of cruel joke? "No?"

"He's ten." The voice on the other end said. Bae didn't say anything, his heart beating too fast. Emma had a ten year old son? Ten years and nine months ago...he had been with her. "She's living in Storybrooke, Maine. I think you should come visit her...come meet your son."

"How do you know he is my son?" Bae asked, his voice breathless.

"Call it a hunch. See you soon."

"Wait! Who are you?" The caller had already hung up before he got his question answered. Storybrooke, Maine? That couldn't be far from where he was now. It was late, but he could be there by morning if he left now. He hated to ruin Sam's party, but he found he couldn't wait one more night.


	4. Reunited

In the end it had been easier than he had thought it would be to leave Sam; to pack up a few things, and drive to Storybrooke. That wasn't to say that Sam wasn't disappointed, but Bae had explained as best he could, that he had found Emma Swan, that there might be a child, that he needed some kind of closure. Sam had allowed him to depart after Bae promised to see him again. Something sad in Sam's eyes made Bae wonder if Sam knew that it was a lie.

For someone as cynical as Emma, Storybrooke seemed to be an odd place to settle. He wondered if she had found someone who made her happy and had a little life here. He would find her, demand answers, and then leave; or maybe stay, depending on the answer she gave him. He hadn't quite figured that last part out yet.

Bae decided that to start at the police station and work his way out from there. Storybrooke didn't seem like a large town and it didn't seem likely there were a lot of Emma Swan's floating around here. He parked outside; surprised to find the woman he was looking for, having what appeared to be an angry argument with two other people. He sat in his car for a moment, taking the trio in. Emma looked just as beautiful as he remembered, her blonde hair cascading down in curls, partly covered in a black hat. She had a black coat on and what appeared to be the tightest pair of jeans on the eastern seaboard.

Her friends were just as attractive, if they even were her friends. Emma had never been one for those. Still, she was accompanied by a worried looking brunette, a pretty girl with bright blue eyes and a wedding ring he was certain could be seen from space. That girl had married into money, or her husband was extremely possessive. Possibly both, he wasn't sure, but the only reason a man put a rock that size on a girl with hands as little as hers was to remind everyone that she belonged to someone. She also wore jeans, though not as tight, and had a pretty purple pea coat over it. The man, a tall brunette with eyes just as blue as his female counterpart, seemed to be pleading with Emma about something. He was also in a coat, and wore a scarf and dark jeans over his black boots. It was do or die time. This was fate; what were the odds of finding Emma Swan outside the police station. Thinking back on their previous encounter, eleven years ago, he thought they might be better than he was giving them credit for, but he squashed that quickly.

"I need to get out of here!" Emma was saying, looking around desperately.

"Emma wait, no!" The small brunette called, a strange accent coloring her words. Was she Australian? Irish? He couldn't quite tell. Bae stepped all the way out of the car and all three stopped and stared at him. He thought he saw recognition flash in the small brunette's eyes, but dismissed it. He would have remembered meeting her before.

"Oh my God," Emma said, horrified. Bae suppressed a grimace. He had wondered if she would remember him. Clearly his worries had been in vain.

"Who is that?" The man asked, positioned between the two women a little defensively. He obviously fancied himself a protector of them, which Bae thought was quaint, but unnecessary.

"Henry's father," Emma told them, sounding dazed. Well. That answered that question. Both brunettes' mouths fell open in surprise, but Emma gathered herself quickly. He could see the anger rising in her. That wasn't unexpected, given their last meeting. "What are you doing here?"

"I got a phone call that said you were here," he ran a hand through his hair nervously. He hadn't been sure the call had been legitimate and now that he knew that it was he didn't know what to do. "I've been trying to find you for ten years." That part wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't the point anymore.

"Well I didn't want to be found," she shot back defensively, "Least of all by you." That was fair, but he was going to challenge it anyway. After all this time was she still holding a grudge against something he had done as a reckless youth?

"Why not Emma? And what is this I hear about a son!" He was getting angry. Part of him wanted to shake her. She was going to be mad he caused her some trouble with the police while she had kept a child from him from ten years. Surely, at this point they were even? He noticed her two friends were still watching, although they had the good sense to close their mouths. "Any way can she and I have this conversation privately?"

"Er..." the man said, looking unsure of the entire situation. The little brunette cut in, saving him.

"Anything you have to say to her you can say in front of us." Well, wasn't she a brave one. If Emma wanted to do this in front of everyone, that was fine with him.

"All right, fine," he allowed, "Is it true, Emma? Is he my son?"

"I hardly think walking back into a boy's life after ten years qualifies him as your son," she shot as coldly. Bae could feel the rage starting to boil within him. If he had known there was a son in the first place he wouldn't be in the situation of walking into his life so late. He could have been there from the beginning!

"So he is. How could you do that, Emma?" He was hurt, more hurt than he ever thought possible.

"Neither of us was qualified to be parents. Especially you," she told him curtly. Bae knew on that point she was right. A car thief and a diner waitress were hardly a promising start, but they could have turned it around.

"Damn it Emma, that wasn't your decision to make!" His anger spilled over. "Where is he?!"

"With his adoptive mother. The Mayor." Adoptive mother? So Emma had given the boy up for adoption, but had somehow also managed to stay in the boy's life? None of this was fair, or right, but that ended today. He was going to start making it right immediately.

"Screw the Mayor! I want to see my kid!"

"That's not going to happen."

"Oh yeah? Who is going to stop me?" He was challenging her, daring her to stop him. He could find the Mayor's house in this little town.

"Actually..." the little brunette was back again, dangling a pair of handcuffs off her pointer finger. This was the town sheriff? She couldn't weight more than a hundred and five pounds and she was in charge of keeping crime from over running the streets? He liked his chances.

"You're the sheriff?"

"That would be me," Emma told him, indicating at the little yellow star clipped to her belt. Ah. So the brunette girl was Emma's deputy. That made a little more sense.

"Well I hate to break it to you dearie, but this is a free country. I can go wherever I like." The brunette girl was staring at him again like she wanted so badly to say something but couldn't find the right words. He wasn't sure if he liked her or not. It didn't matter. He was going to get away from this odd threesome and track down his son and explain about all the wrongs that had been committed, and vow to make it up to the boy.

Emma smiled almost sadistically at his words, like this was somehow enjoyable for her. "Be my guest. Go see the Mayor. Introduce yourself, tell her who you are and why you're here. In fact, I'll go with you. I'd love to see that."

"NO!" The brunette stepped between them with real fear in her eyes. Who was the Mayor? Something about this town was off. "Don't...Regina...is a horrible woman. And you shouldn't do that to poor Henry. He's been through enough."

"I want to see him," Bae started, refusing to be deterred.

"I'll take you to see him if you promise not to say anything to him."

"Deal."

"Don't say anything until I get a chance to talk to him first," Emma suddenly looked guilty, "I told him you died."

"What?" He and the brunette girl asked at the same time, twin looks of disbelief on their faces.

"Look," Emma defended her actions, "I didn't think I'd ever see you again, and it was better than telling him who you really were."

"Lovely, Emma. It's nice to know some people never chance. Come on," he started off with the brunette, convinced that he was no longer the bad guy. What Emma had done was far worse. Not only had she concealed a child from him, she lied to the boy and told him, that he was dead. This was going to be a disaster when the truth finally came out.

"It's this way," the brunette told him once she caught up with him, falling into step next to him.

"I'm sorry; I didn't catch your name."

"It's...Isabelle," she smiled up at him and he decided that he did like her. She was brave and she seemed kind.

"Pretty name. I'm Bae.

"Bae. Unusual name." She said his name like she was already familiar with it. It wasn't a question, it was a statement, but he felt the need to defend it anyway.

"My parents...weren't from around here."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Bae."

"You too. So, how'd you end up working with Emma Swan?" Isabelle seemed to be the polar opposite of Emma in every way. If they were a team they had to be the world's strangest match up. They deserved a sitcom at the very least.

"Just good luck I guess," she smiled at him again, and he believed she was being sincere. Was it possible Emma had changed in eleven years?

"Emma Swan is hardly what I would call good luck. A walking hurricane, yes. Hell on wheels? Definitely. Good luck? Not a chance." He was feeling bitter and angry with himself for spending all those years beating himself in the ground at medical school, trying to make up for what he did to her, wishing he could have another chance to make things right with her and all the while she was off with their son, keeping them from each other.

"No love lost between the two of you, I see," Isabelle commented.

"Well, that's not for a lack of trying. Emma..." How could he find the right words to make Isabelle understand? "Emma is just stone cold."

"I could see how you would think that...if you didn't know her very well." Isabelle kept her tone light even though it was obvious she didn't agree with him one bit when it came to his perception of Emma.

"Warm and fuzzy for you is she? Well maybe that's because you have zero potential to hurt her."

"Maybe. How did you two meet?"

"We were just two abandoned kids. Emma was just leaving the system; I had been out for a while. What can I say? It was true love." He didn't doubt that what he felt for Emma could have been true love in another world, but here he didn't believe such a thing existed.

She seemed surprised. "You were in the system too?" He was starting to wonder if he had, in fact, met this girl before. Something about her screamed familiarity.

"My father...and mother...they left me a while ago." It was impossible not to feel a little sad thinking about his father and the last time they ever saw each other.

"As a baby?" Her question cut across his thoughts. She sure was nosy, for a complete stranger. That was the problem with small towns; everyone was in everyone's business.

"No, when I was fourteen. My mom left my dad...before that. My dad...we had a fight. I wanted him to do something, and he...he didn't want to. I gave him an ultimatum and then I left and he didn't follow." His sadness was starting to twist back into bitterness. He had forgiven his father years ago, but he couldn't help and hate their last memory.

"Oh...I'm so sorry. I'm...I'm sure he regretted it." Somehow, coming from her, he was willing to believe that his father did regret it.

"I believe that, Isabelle. But he's not coming back for me."

They kept walking in silence. He didn't know what to say to her, how to ask her questions about herself now that he had revealed so much of him to her.

"Isabelle!" A young boy ran over to her and Bae's breath caught in his throat. The boy, Henry, looked just like him, same eyes, same dark hair. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Official police business," she winked at him. Bae could tell they had some kind of special camaraderie.

"Who is this?" Henry asked, looking Bae over.

"I'm Bae," he told Henry, offering the boy his hand. "I'm...going to be staying for a while. Isabelle was just showing me around town." He couldn't bring himself to spring all this on him now, it wasn't a good time. Let Henry get to know him first, ease him into the situation.

"Cool!" Henry certainly didn't seem worried about anything. "Can I come see you later?"

"Sure, after school. At the station. Your mom will be excited to see you," Belle agreed good naturedly.

"See you them!" He ran off.

"He likes you," Bae said to Isabelle once Henry was gone.

"We have a friendship. He's a good kid."

"He looks like me," Bae's mind was whirring at million miles a minute, trying to process all this new information.

"Good looking kid," she quipped, laughing prettily.

That settled it. He was staying, at least for a little while. "So, Isabelle, where is a good place to stay around here?"

"You'll want Granny's," she pointed to a quaint bed and breakfast.

"Thank you," Bae told her. He planned to part ways with her, and she seemed amicable to the idea, but at the last minute he stopped her. He couldn't shake the feeling that he knew her, or at the very least, she knew him. "Can I see you again? Just as friends. I don't have a lot of those. I think you and I could be friends. Just friends." He was rambling, but she looked so hesitant he wanted her to know he wasn't hitting on her.

"I have that effect on people," she relaxed after a moment of thought.

"It must be your smile. It's refreshing to know that some people aren't jaded. And besides...I noticed your wedding ring." There, he had finally managed to ask her something about herself, even if he had gone about it in a roundabout way.

He watched her look out at the ring, smiling fondly at it. "Oh yeah, this thing?"

"Your husband must have been worried about men hitting on you. No chance of that with that rock. Can barely see your hand."

She laughed, but her eyes were watching him again. "Well Bae, I hope to see you around."

"You as well. Take care Isabelle." He meant it. If he was going to stay in this town he would need an ally against Emma, and Isabelle could possibly be that ally. He knew she was friends with Emma, but Isabelle didn't seem the type to pick sides. He watched the girl walk off; a little confused about how tense she seemed to be the moment her back was to him. He would worry about her later, he decided, going into the bed and breakfast. For now he needed a room.

The B&B was cute, just like everything else in this town, and it felt old. An elderly woman checked him in, giving him a room and a key decorated with a swan .That was apt enough. He had chosen a forest view over the square view, deciding that if Emma wanted to sneak up on him he would allow her that.

The room was homey enough but it was temporary. He had told the woman, Granny, that he would be staying a week. Surely this town had a hospital and could use a doctor? He'd sort through that first thing in the morning and maybe try and find a place more permanent, assuming Henry wanted him in his life.

He doubled back to his car and parked it in front of Granny's, bringing in the small bag he had packed with him to unpack. He had just begun when there was a knock outside his door. Isabelle must have reported back to Emma, and now Emma was going to try and convince him to leave. He looked forward to this talk. It was time to put the deception of the past behind them and try and move forward if they could. Sad as it was, he still wanted to make things work with her. Give what they had another chance, because something was there, and he knew she felt it too even if she wanted to deny it.

Bae answered the door, smiling, prepared for whatever Emma was about to throw at him. What he wasn't expecting to see was Rumpelstiltskin, standing in his doorway, looking stunned. His father, a man who had been haunting his dreams since he got to this place, standing there in the nicest suit he'd ever seen; his face pale and disbelieving. Neither of them moved, Bae barely breathed as he drank in the sight of his father, standing in front of him after nineteen years apart.

His father had tears in his eyes as he said, "Bae. I've been looking for you." Bae couldn't help put throw his arms around his father and hug him tight.

"Papa," he said, still embracing the man, afraid to move, afraid this was some kind of spell, or even worse, a dream. It took him a while to realize he was crying. "How did you get here? How long have you been here? I have missed you. I am so sorry." He pulled out of the embrace to let his father in, shutting the door quickly behind them.

Rumpelstiltskin looked horrified at Bae's words. "No. You have nothing to be sorry for my boy. I should have gone. I have...regretted it every day since you have been gone. Every day." A tear rolled down the older man's cheek and they hugged again. The shock was starting to wear off a little as they sat on the bed next to each other and Rumplestiltskin began telling him the most ridiculous tale. About a curse that took three hundred years to make that brought him to exact moment in time Bae had been sent through the worm hole. How everyone here had been living under a curse, with false memories, waiting for the savior to show up. Bae couldn't be mad at his father for allowing any of it to happen, he had spent his entire life hoping against hope his father would find him.

"What brought you here?" Rumpelstiltskin asked him.

"Emma Swan," Bae confessed, knowing that at some point he would have to be honest as well.

"Emma Swan?" His father inquired, leading Bae to believe he was familiar with her.

Bae took a deep breath. "We share something."

"You can tell me anything, Bae."

"A son."

Rumplestiltskin's eyes widened in shock. Bae realized his father must have known the boy, must have watched him growing up; never realizing how close Henry was to the son he had spent so many years trying to find.

"Henry...is your son?"

"Yes. I met him today. The deputy sheriff took me to meet him. Isabelle something. Pretty girl." His father smiled at his last comment.

"Pretty indeed. She happens to be my wife."

Well, the ring suddenly made sense. It didn't surprise him his father would guard the pretty young woman closely. "Wow. Small world."

"Son...I must tell you something about Storybrooke." Rumplestiltskin continued his tale, filling in the last parts of the story. Emma Swan, his pretend princess back when they were young was an actual princess, daughter to Snow White and Prince Charming, people he had only heard in story books before now. She was the Savior, here to save everyone trapped in the town and take down Regina, the Evil Queen and also the adoptive mother of their son. Did the coincidences ever stop? He laughed, telling his father that they were all in big trouble if they expected Emma Swan to get rid of the Evil Queen.

"I have something else for you. I want you to live with me. I have more than enough room...and all your old belongings." His father's eyes swept over the room but Bae didn't care. He was touched his father would hold onto his things for over three hundred years and into a separate realm.

"Are you sure? Your wife won't mind?"

"Belle?" Rumpelstiltskin smiled as he said the name. "She's the one who sent me to you." Of course. The pretty brunette who said his name like she knew who he was, because she did know who he was. She must have gone straight to Rumpelstiltskin and told him everything. Or, part of everything.

"She remembers life before the curse?" Bae was having a bit of trouble keeping up with everything. How come Belle could remember, but no one else could.

"She does, but no one else must know." His father looked extremely serious, and Bae wondered how far he had had to go to break her memories free, and keep her safe here. It also begged the question of where they met, because that girl certainly hadn't been around when he was a boy. He would have remembered.

"Got it. I will keep it a secret."

"And Bae...I want you to have my old dagger. When the curse is broken, I will give up all my power."

"Papa no!" Giving up his power meant death. They had to stay here, they could never go back. In the middle of his frantic musings, Rumpelstiltskin put his hand up to silence the boy.

"There is another way. A way no one but Regina ever guessed. Belle can safely remove my powers. All I could ever want is with you and her. I have no use for my powers."

How?" He didn't believe that wisp of a girl could succeed where he had failed.

"A kiss," his father told him simply.

"True loves kiss? How...genius." So Belle was his father's true love. How about that.

They ended up packing his things back up and giving his key back to Granny. She didn't complain, especially when Bae refused to let her refund him his money. They drove to his home slowly, Rumpelstiltskin demanding to know what his son had been doing here, and Bae decided to leave most of it out. There would be a time, but it wasn't tonight. He wanted his father to just remain proud, so he told him all about medical school and becoming a doctor, told him about Sam and his family and how generous they had been with their time and money. Rumpelstiltskin listened, amazed at what his son had been able to accomplish, but not really surprised. He always knew Bae would make something of himself.

Bae was nervous walking into the large house. He knew once he stepped through the door he was accepting this new life, his old life, and leaving everything else behind. The sad look in Sam's eyes flashed in his mind, but Bae couldn't feel regret about that now. This was where he belonged.

Belle was standing inside waiting for them when he finally stepped over the threshold, smiling and rubbing her hands together nervously. Rumplestiltskin looked even more proud as he told his wife, "Belle...love; this is my son, Bae."

Belle wasted no time hugging him, a bright smile lighting up her face. "We've met," he told his father good naturedly.

"I have heard so much about you," she told him.

"She's a little young, but she'll do," he told his father, laughing. Belle was younger than him, at least physically. The curse had stopped her aging, leaving her the same age as she had been twenty eight years ago.

Rumpelstiltskin and Belle showed him to his room, the room with his old things, and then left so he could have some privacy. It felt surreal, a weird dream that he kept waiting to come out of. He hadn't expected this, to find a family, when he drove into Storybrooke just hours earlier; prepared to confront Emma Swan, but now he had his father back, and a new step mother. He laid back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. He wasn't going anywhere for the time being. Talking with Emma could wait one more night.


	5. Father Son

The curse was broken, but outside of that nothing had really changed for Baelfire. Emma still disliked him, his father was still chasing after Belle, and he still knew nothing about his son.

Only, now he was ready to change that. They had told Henry who he was, that he was his father but nothing more outside of that. Henry was staying with Snow and Charming at the Mad Hatter's house, so Bae made his way there, hoping Emma hadn't already beaten him there and whisked the boy off.

He found Henry playing with Grace at Jefferson's. Normal kid stuff that seemed so odd and out of place for the mature ten year old.

"Hey kid," he said. Henry looked up at him thoughtfully for a moment and then shut his book.

"I'll leave you two," Grace smiled and then walked off, leaving Bae alone with the ten year old he had never known he had and unsure of what to say.

"Hi." Henry waited until Grace was out of ear shot.

"You want to do something?" Bae blurted out. He'd never had much finesse at this sort of thing, which said a lot considering he was a licensed pediatric doctor. He should be better at talking with children.

"Like what?" Henry asked skeptically, moving his book under his arm.

"I don't know...do you like ice cream?" Bae suggested. All kids liked ice cream. Henry brightened at the word ice cream.

"Okay!" He and Henry walked out to his car and got in.

"Where's the best place for ice cream in this town?" Bae asked him as he began to drive them into town.

"There's only one, it's on main street," Henry replied, carefully studying his father. They lapsed into silence for a moment, Bae desperately wondering what to say and Henry still watching him carefully.

"What did you do to my Mom?" Henry finally asked, shattering the silence with the worst question Bae could imagine him asking.

"What do you mean?" Bae asked him even though he knew exactly what the boy meant.

"Well," Henry said thoughtfully, "She told me you were dead. So I figured you must have done something bad for her to rather tell me you're dead than who you really are."

The kid had a fair point. Henry was sharp for a ten year old, much sharper than he himself had been at his age.

"I...I got your mom into some trouble," Bae admitted. Best to start things off on the honest foot, and hope that Henry could forgive him.

"What kind of trouble?" Henry prodded, determined to know the whole story.

"I got her arrested."

"For what?"

"Carjacking."

"You stole cars?"

Bae nodded. "I did, when I was younger, and your mom and I got caught in one. They put us both in jail."

Henry settled back in the seat as he digested the information. "What do you do now?"

"I'm a doctor," Bae told him a little proudly. Henry's head snapped in his direction, surprised.

"That's cool. And I'm not mad that you never came around. I know you didn't know about me."

Henry's ability to consistently surprise Bae was refreshing. "I would have been there, if I had known," Bae told him seriously. He wanted Henry to know that.

"I know. My Mom is a good person, but sometimes she makes bad decisions for good reasons."

"She was trying to do what was best for you. I wasn't what was best for you back then."

"Are you now?"

"I'm going to try to be."

Henry seemed satisfied with that answer and Bae relaxed, glad the worst of it was over. Henry pointed at the ice cream shop and Bae parked.

"What's your favorite?" Henry asked, practically bouncing off the walls.

"Strawberry," Bae decided. He had always been partial to fruity flavors.

"Huh. I like vanilla," Henry told him. Bae ordered two cones, one strawberry and one vanilla. Henry took them back outside to sit under an umbrella covered table.

"Vanilla is Mr. Gold's favorite flavor too. Sorry, Rumpelstiltskin. And Belle likes Strawberry. Mom likes chocolate."

"Ew," Bae teased, looking out into the street. Belle and Emma were talking seriously, walking in the opposite direction. "Those two close?"

Henry was watching Belle and Emma as well. "Yup. Belle remembered before most people."

Bae blamed his father entirely for that. From what he had been able to gather, Belle was the brave non-princess who could, and one of his favorite people he had ever met. She was candy on the outside, pretty and sweet but on the inside she was a brutal General, take no prisoners sort of person. For whatever reason, her outside demeanor had led him to draw the conclusion that she was spineless at first...until he happened upon a disagreement between his father and her. His father had the tendency to be overbearing and over protective and she was clearly not okay with this. It seemed to be an old argument, repeating lines that had the air of being rehearsed over and over. She had reminded Rumpelstiltskin that she had broken out of the hospital without his help and did not need a baby-sitter. Eventually Rumpelstiltskin had relented and she had sweetly kissed him, but it was in that moment that he got it, got them. His father needed someone like Belle; sweet, war General Belle.

It was the exact dynamic between him and Emma, only in this story he would be playing Belle, and Emma would be Rumpelstiltskin...if Belle had ever gotten Rumpelstiltskin arrested, and then Rumple had hidden a child from Belle for ten years. Which would never happen, because whatever communication issues had existed between Belle and Rumple were clearly non-existent now. He wondered if he'd ever be able to bridge the gap between him and Emma and bring them together with Henry, to be a family.

He looked over at the boy who was nearly done with his cone. The boy had ice cream on his nose, a sloppy white dot on Henry's otherwise smooth skin.

"You are a mess," Bae laughed, grabbing a napkin and wiping it, the first fatherly thing he had ever done. Henry beamed at him and devoured the rest of the cone.

"So, are you in?"

"In what?" Bae asked, crunching on the end of his cone.

"Operation Cobra! You have to be in!"

"Okay, I'm in."

"Awesome! I have a mission for you."

"Lay it on me," Bae was grinning, happy in a way he hadn't been in a long time.

"You have to get in Emma's good graces!"

"You just tell me how." Bae and Henry were back in his car.

"Belle! Emma will listen to Belle; they're always sneaking off on secret adventures, trying to figure out how to get back to the Enchanted Forest."

"I already asked Belle for help, nothing happened," Bae confided in the boy. He had asked Belle to help him get onto Emma's War Counsel and Belle had promised to try, but since then nothing had happened.

"You live with Belle. Follow her out. Threaten to tell Rumpelstiltskin on her if she doesn't let you go with her. Once you and my Mom start spending time together she'll remember why she loved you!"

Bae gripped the steering wheel a little harder at the mention of Emma loving him. Had Emma loved him? He had spent a lot of time wondering that. If he hadn't been married when they were together would she have stayed, or would she have run out? The latter seemed the obvious answer. Emma had always been running scared and in twenty eight years that was something that hadn't changed.

"You want your Mom to fall in love with me?" He asked, just to be sure he understood.

"Yeah! You are her true love! She loves you, she's just scared."

Henry was perceptive and intelligent. Bae was inclined to believe him, if for no other reason than he wanted to believe what Henry said was true. He would always love Emma; love everything about her, from her blonde hair, to her sarcasm and everything in between. He couldn't decide if that was romantic or pathetic. He decided to go with romantic.

He dropped Henry off at Jefferson's with a promise to make good on his Operation Cobra mission and another promise to spend time soon. He was going to make things right in his life, with Henry and with Emma. He had gained some ground with Henry, now it was time to work on Emma. He had been giving her space but that was about to change.

He wouldn't waste one more night.


	6. Alone

It took Bae three days to recover from his near death experience with the Snow Queen. Henry kept him company for most of it, reading him stories from his book and telling him about the townspeople. At night Emma would shoo the boy off to bed and stay with him. Their conversations were harder since she had admitted she loved him as well. There was so much to say and neither knew where to begin.

On the third night, after Emma had taken Henry to his grandparents, Bae prepared himself. If he didn't say something now he'd miss his chance again, as he had eleven years ago. It seemed a waste to let her escape again after dedicating those eleven years to becoming someone worthy of her.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him, sitting awkwardly on the edge of her own bed.

"Better. Emma, can I tell you something?" This was it, now or never.

Her eyes were bright and expectant. "Sure."

"When I met you...ah...when I met you," he took a deep breath, balled up his fists and steeled his courage. "You felt like magic. I loved you. I'm sorry, I know that's weird in this land but I did. That's why I came to see you every night even though you were very clear in your dislike for me. To me...to me, you were a princess. I know I messed things up with that car and I dropped the ball helping you with our son, but I have spent every minute since you left trying to make up for it. I became a doctor so I could be worthy of you. I have always loved you, for me there was never anyone else."

He had been staring at his hands the entire time he was talking, but now he chanced a glance up at her. Her face was twisted up in sadness and confusion and love. He took her hand in his and gripped it.

"Bae...that night we slept together...and I left. Do you remember it?" She asked softly.

"I do," he told her. That night still haunted him, but she didn't need to know that.

"I was scared. You being married...it hurt me, because I was falling for you, but it was also convenient. It gave me an out. And I'm sorry. I have been thinking about you. And I did hate you, because you betrayed me. You lied to me. And you never found me." A tear slid down her face and Bae quickly wiped it away. He cupped her cheek, looking directly at her.

"I didn't think you would ever want to see me, or I would have. Then I lost you and didn't know where to start. When I got that phone call saying you were here I came running."

She laughed but it came out sounding strangled. "Biggest shock of my life seeing you standing there. I tried to send Rumpelstiltskin after you."

He laughed at the idea of his father chasing him out of town.

"I'm sure he would have done a fine job getting rid of me."

Emma rolled her eyes. "It wouldn't have mattered; Belle would have marched down to his shop and forced him to bring you back if he had tried."

"Yes, she was very charming. She's the absolute worst choice for a Deputy Sheriff, what were you thinking?" He teased.

"She came running out of hospital covered in blood swearing Regina locked her up and that she stabbed a nurse. The next day she went into your Dad's shop and turned him into her docile house cat, the most feared man in town. She was the best choice."

Bae laughed again, loud and happy.

"Well. I take it back then. What made you stay?"

"Henry," she said seriously. "He wasn't happy, didn't have any friends. He found me in Boston and begged me to come home with him."

"He seems happy now."

She smiled. "What will happen if I kill Regina?"

Bae sighed. He had been wondering what implications Regina's death would have on the boy as well.

"Let's not worry about that until we come to it."

"We?"

"Yes, we. We are a family. Emma, there will never be anyone else for me."

"I'm afraid," she admitted.

"You love me?"

"Yes, I do."

"That's all that matters. If you're afraid, I'm here. I'm going to take care of you, even though you don't need anyone to take care of you because you're strong and capable. You don't have to be afraid of anything ever again."

Emma didn't say anything to that because there was nothing she could say to it. Instead she moved to the center of the bed, allowing him to wrap his arms around her for the first time in eleven years.

He kissed the top of her head and they stayed that way for the night. Bae wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but he woke the next morning to Emma getting dressed.

"Leaving?" He asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, I need to take care of some things. Want to meet up later?" She was trying to look nonchalant but Bae could feel the nervousness radiating off of her.

"Sure. I'll be at my Dad's house all day."

"Sounds good, I'll meet you there."

Bae ended up finding Emma on the street heading towards her bug. When she saw him her face lit up.

"I was just heading to meet you," she told him. Bae slipped his hand in hers for a moment before she pulled it out. Small steps, he decided.

"Well we don't have to go there, if you'd prefer to do something else," he offered.

"I thought...it might be nice to have some alone time..." She trailed off suggestively. Bae's brain stuttered for a moment as he caught up with her words.

"Wouldn't your place be better?"

"Henry is there with Snow-er, my Mom, right now."

It was a safe bet that his Father's home was vacant during this part of the day. Belle would be out, and his father would be in the shop.

"My place it is," he said nervously, leading the way.

He still felt nervous when he opened the door quietly, poking his head in.

"I guess they went out for the day," He said in a whisper.

"Then why are you whispering?" Emma whispered back.

"Habit?" He shrugged and the two began walking through the house. This was it; they were going to do this. He couldn't decide if he was more nervous or excited. Emma seemed calm, her face impassive.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of giggling. "It seems a shame to take you out of those clothes," a deep male voice said. Emma and Bae both froze as the turned the corner and found Rumpelstiltskin carrying a very giggling Belle in his arms.

"Bae. You've come home," his Father trailed off as he set Belle to her feet. Belle was wearing a pair of very tight leather pants and a tight, blue, corseted top. Her hair was mussed and her lips were swollen and it couldn't have been more obvious what they had been doing or what they were heading upstairs to finish. Next to him Emma shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah...we were..." He trailed off awkwardly trying to look anywhere but at his Father's tangled hair or Belle's cheeky grin.

"Yeah...so were we," Belle told him, smiling widely. She obviously had no shame over the incident and was finding the entire thing hilarious. She winked suggestively at Emma, causing her to flush bright red.

"NO!" Emma exclaimed. "We just came to get something!"

"Oh calm down Ms. Swan," his father said impatiently. "You two have a son, it's not shocking."

"Stop it," Belle grinned at her husband before she turned back to Emma. "What were you looking for?"

"Stop enjoying this Belle," Bae told her with the same annoyed tone his Father had. This was ridiculous. Any other day the two of them would have been out.

Belle walked over to Emma and took a hard look at both him and his father, standing there annoyed and frustrated.

"The resemblance is uncanny," Belle said casually to Emma. Bae watched Emma look from him to his father and then shake her head.

"I'm going to find August," she muttered, striding quickly out of the room.

"Wait! I'm coming with you!" Belle kissed Rumple quickly and then ran out after Emma.

"Great," Father sighed.

"I heard that," Bae agreed. His Father headed in the direction of the basement and Bae went into the living room. This had not gone how he had anticipated at all. Emma was out with August and Belle, and he was alone, fantasizing about being alone with the woman of his dreams. He decided to go back to her apartment. He wasn't willing to wait one more night.


	7. A Land With Magic

Bae knew going after Regina would be a bad idea but he went anyway. His reasons were not solid and he knew the moment Emma found out she would kill him, assuming Regina didn't beat her to it. Still, his father had told everyone, long after he had sent Emma and Belle home, that he knew where Regina was hiding. It hadn't taken much more to convince Charming and his merry band of Prince's that they had to go track her down and bring her to Storybrooke. Justice, Charming had called it. Privately Bae thought it sounded more like stupidity but he was determined not to be left behind. All he wanted was a life with Emma and their son and he couldn't have that with Regina around.

In retrospect he supposed he should have realized his father had some sort of end game in mind when he informed Snow White that if anything happened to them, Belle would know what to do. It occurred to him now, considering Regina had locked them all up within moments of entering her lair. Rumple hadn't even tried to stop her.

Rumpelstiltskin had been placed in a separate cell from the rest of them, which Bae considered kind of Regina. Charming was itching to get his hands around Rumple's neck. They had bickered through most of the night, none of them willing to sleep. They all had the same fear that the girls would try and stage a rescue and get themselves killed. Bae was especially worried, Regina would kill Emma without a second thought, then him, and then continue raising his son.

His hope, through the night, was that Belle really did know what to do.

It wasn't until later the next day, when purple tendrils of magic began to snake into their dungeon, that Bae became really afraid. He looked over at his father whose face was lit up with glee. Was this Regina's doing, or had it been part of his plan all along?

"What is happening?" Charming shouted at Rumpelstiltskin.

Rumpelstiltskin was laughing, high pitched and disturbing, and if Bae didn't know him so well he would have been afraid.

"We're going home."

Charming exchanged a look with Bae before the purple smoke completely over took them and Bae was lost to the blackness.

He awoke to water splashing his face. He spluttered for a moment before he realized he didn't recognize his surroundings. His father was standing there looking serious as he spoke with Charming. Bae pinched himself momentarily, just to be certain he wasn't dreaming, and then rose to his feet.

"What's your price?" Charming asked. Bae took the moment to look around at the black, dingy dungeon they found themselves in.

"When you find my Belle, keep her safe," Rumpelstiltskin told the Prince with a sad smile. Charming nodded and Rumpelstiltskin motioned for Bae to follow him off to the side. He was still a little shocked to his papa like this, his skin a scaly greenish gold, his eyes large and amber, his hair wavy. It clashed against his suit which still looked nice, despite being wrinkled and dirty.

"You will keep her safe?" He asked his son, searching his face.

"You're not coming with us?" Bae was a little stunned that his father wasn't rushing after his wife like he usually did.

"There is something I first must do." Rumpelstiltskin turned to walk away but Bae caught his wrist quickly. Now that they were back Bae knew how alluring power could be. Would his father willingly give it up, or would he chose to keep it again.

"Don't forget our deal, papa," Bae told him softly. Rumple nodded and the turned away. He taunted Charming for a moment and then they were engulfed in magic again, this time transported to a forest Bae had never been to. Rumpelstiltskin himself did not join them and Bae couldn't help but wonder what was more important than him or Belle.

He stood off to the side as Charming and Snow had a touching reunion along with many of the princesses and their princes's. Neither Emma or Belle were among the group of girls and dwarves which instantly worried Bae. Snow explained how Emma and Belle had chosen to stay behind while Snow led a party to rescue the men. She surmised that Belle and Emma, along with Henry, must have found a way to send them all back. It didn't answer the question of where the three of them were now and Bae couldn't help how anxious he felt All he wanted was to find Emma and his son, everything else could wait.

Snow and Charming eventually decided to go to where their previous castle had been and see if t was still there. The hope was that Emma might be there as well. Bae wasn't sure about the theory but it was a start.

The walk took longer than he imagined and he found himself longing for Storybrooke's cars. It was dusk when they reached the paved road leading to the castle. Off in the distance he could see what looked like three figures sitting on stairs. Snow took off at a run, Charming not far behind her. Bae continue his pace, allowing them a little privacy before the rest of them reached the stairs. Emma was talking with her parents so instead he went to Belle who was watching him apprehensively. He led Belle away from everyone so they could speak privately.

"Is he here?"

She looked instantly worried. "No, I thought he would be with you."

Bae tried to reassure her. "He's safe, he's out. Back to old form. He said he had something he had to do but I assumed he would find you."

"He must have known I was okay," she told him firmly, visibly relaxing. The faith she had in him was a little inspiring. He wondered if Emma had the same faith in him.

People were starting to encroach on them so Bae whispered to her quickly, "I reminded him of our deal. He says he remembers."

She smiled. "I will hold him to it."

That was something Bae whole heartedly believed. Charming came over to Belle to tell her of the price he had agreed to in order to find Snow and declared they all would stay the night. Bae waited patiently for everyone to get settled before he slipped into Emma's room. She hadn't wanted to sleep in the room that had originally been hers and Snow had obliged although the pain on her face was obvious.

She was up, standing at a window. She turned when she saw him enter and went to him immediately, allowing him to wrap strong arms around her. She wasn't crying but her face was scrunched in a way that let him know she was holding it in.

"Where are we?" She asked, her face buried in his shoulder. He put a hand on the back of her head, let his fingers tangle in her blonde curls.

"I don't know." He had never seen anything outside of his own little village in the Frontlands.

They stood there for what felt like an eternity, two people who didn't know where they were or if they belonged. She finally pulled away and went to the bed.

"Stay?" She asked with a rare vulnerability. He could no sooner have cut off his own head than leave her, and he nodded as he walked to her. They didn't bother trying to find something to change into and eventually they made their way under blankets. Emma's head was resting on his chest and he held her loosely in his arms. He tried not to think about the repercussions of coming back. Eventually Emma would have to destroy Regina but not tonight. They still at had one more night.


	8. A proposal

A/N: Sorry for the delay here! I really have no excuses outside of some family things and severe writers block. All is well though and I promise never to make you wait so long again.

Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews.  
Also, anyone who reads COTA or IMTPYH, those are on the way. COTA is in revision, it wasn't long enough so I am adding more to it and will send it to be beta'd tonight and IMTPYH is nearly finished. I hope to have them both to you this weekend.

Much love. :)

The curse was broken, final battle fought and Regina was dead. People felt safe again, Rumplestiltskin looked like a normal man and had even forged an easy truce with the Charming's, mostly thanks to his wife,Baelfire's step- mother. Bae himself had moved into the Charming's castle in order to repair his relationship with his son. And then there was Emma. He wasn't entirely sure where he stood with Emma here in this new land now that everything was okay. She seemed uncertain about everything, most of all him. She seemed to have trouble with the idea that he had grown up in this land with magic.

"I thought we would be on even footing," Emma told him, tugging at a shimmery yellow gown. "It seems like everyone belongs here, even Henry has it figured out. You do. Everyone belongs except me."

"Hey," he said, taking her hands in his, "This is your land, too. Where you were born. You saved everyone, and you belong here more than anyone."

She looked down at her slippered feet. "I don't remember living here though. I don't feel like I belong."

You do, Emma," Bae said, his heart breaking at the raw vulnerability of her words. More than anything he wanted to make things right for her even if he didn't deserve at.

"It doesn't feel real," she confessed as he pulled her into his arms. "I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, for it to be yanked away."

She didn't have to say the words,words; Bae knew what she was really thinking. Waiting for everyone to leave her, waiting to have to rely on herself again.

"That will never happen again."

What Bae really wanted was to marry her. If his father could make marriage work Bae was certain he could too. He wasn't sure if Emma would consent to marriage but he had to try. People didn't have children out of wedlock here, or live together as boyfriend and girlfriend. Bae understood that sometime people would expect Emma to settle down, and he wanted it to be him. She was his true love, his magic in a land without it; he needed her to say yes.

"Henry!" Bae tracked down his son one afternoon, a plan formulating in his mind.

"What's up?" Henry asked with an easy smile.

"I need your help with something."

Henry lit up. "Okay!"  
The two were outside in the garden where Henry had been using a wooden sword to fight off invisible monsters. Bae led Henry to a a stone bench, sitting down next to his son. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small ring with a gleaming, clear stone. Henry plucked it out of his father's hand and began to examine it, a grin stretched across his face.

"It's about time!" Henry chided, handing the ring back. Bae glanced around quickly as he pocketed the ring to make sure Emma wasn't watching.

"What do you mean, it's about time?" Bae asked, his tone playful as he looped his arm around Bae's neck and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately.

"Stop it!" Henry laughed, hitting Bae with his wooden sword. Bae jumped up and help his hands up, palms out in surrender.

"I surrender, I surrender!" Bae laughed. Henry was laughing too as he hit his father one last time for good measure. "Don't forget to ask Grandpa for permission."

Bae swallowed nervously although he didn't let Henry see it. Bae was worried they would say no, despite everything. He couldn't deny he had done Emma wrong.

"I won't," Bae promised, moving back towards the castle. Henry followed, blithely unaware of the pressure Bae was currently feeling.

"You should do it tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow?" Bae asked indulgently.

"At grandpa's coronation."

Bae was thoroughly confused. "Your grandfather is king."

"Not grandpa Charming, grandpa Rumplestiltskin."  
Bae stopped and looked down at Henry, his heart warm at the words 'Grandpa Rumplestiltskin'.

"If Charming and Snow give me permission, I promise I will."

He tucked the ring away in a drawer and requested an audience with Charming and Snow without Emma being aware of what was going on. Everything hinged on this one moment. Bae would accept whatever Charming and Snow decided, even if it meant he never saw Emma again.

"You wanted to see us?" Snow asked once Bae entered one of their private rooms. It was a sitting room. Charming was sitting in an ornate purple chair while his wife sat at his feet, a book resting on the ground next to her. It seemed so personal that Bae felt he was intruding.

"Uh, yeah. I want to marry your daughter," he blurted out nervously. Charming erupted with laughter as Bae stood there, his gaze focused on Snow's.

"It's about time," Charming said boisterously, jumping up to clap Bae on the back.

"We were starting to think you would never ask," Snow added, getting up to hug Bae.

"Welcome to our family," Charming told him.

Bae was sweating bullets by the time he reached his father's gloomy castle. Emma hadn't spoken much either, leaving Henry to fill the space with cheerful chatter. Bae was a little discouraged when Emma made an immediate bee line for Belle and Pinocchio. Belle was practically glowing with happiness and Bae had no doubt that the cheery interior of the castle was all her doing.

He found his father lurking in the shadows, his eyes glued to his wife's animated form. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" He asked.

Rumplestiltskin turned his eyes onto his son. "Of course. Is something bothering you?"

"I wanted to let you know that I am going to ask Emma to marry me tonight."

Rumple pulled his son into a tight hug. "It's about time."  
Bae pulled away, frowning. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

Rumple just laughed, some unknown joke Bae didn't understand.

In the end he proposed while they were dancing. He hadn't meant to blurt it out like that, but his nerves had finally gotten the better of him. Emma was telling him the story of Pinocchio locating the Blue Fairy and Bae whispered, "Marry me."  
He expected her to protest, to argue, to list reasons why they weren't ready. He didn't expect the shy smile or a soft "Yes," to come from her lips. He certainly hadn't intended to crush her against him as he kissed her like it was the first time.

He eventually pulled away from her long enough to pull the ring out of his pocket and slip it on her finger.  
"Took you long enough," she said before pressing her lips feather light against his. He smiled, unable to regret waiting one more night.


End file.
